News & Events

It’s not just children that are at risk in a hot car in this weather, pets are even more vulnerable.  Leaving the car window open is not enough.  Take the pet with you when you leave the car.  When we send animals out in this weather, we always warn you to keep them out of the direct sun.  Crickets expire faster than anyone else, so be especially careful with them.

Those of you who attended the fabulous tour of AERAS, the TB Research Facility in Rockville, know what an interesting neighborhood we live in.  For those of you who missed it, you will have a second chance to hear about their vaccine research on:

July 21, 2010, Thursday, AERAS will be presenting our next Science Cafe at Branded ‘72, at 7pm.  Everyone is welcome, including those of you who were on the tour, because there will be even more answers available for the questions that have come to mind since the tour.

We do get questions about  that cute little mammal that delivers eggs this time of year but we do not have any. We do have wonderful Holland Lop and Dwarf Rabbits but they are not seasonal, they are year round pets that  are delightful companions, living for an average of 8 years and doing very well either indoors or out. We have all the equiptment you will need but it’s lots of fun to build your own outdoor  hutch. Just be sure it will fit thru the door if you build it inside.

We are now into our second year of sponsoring Science Cafes in conjunction with Rockville Science Center Inc and Sigma Xi.  If you have been to any of them, I know you look foreward to the next one every month. Speakers have presented fascinating glimpses into their field of scientific inquiry and engaged the audience, responding to an amazing list of questions each time.

Cafes are held at Branded’72, a very good barbecue restaurant on Gude Drive at 7:00 PM on the 3rd Wednesday of the month except in March when we we moved to March 10 so as not to interfere with your St. Patricks day celebrations.

Cafes  are FREE but  you can order food and all beverages if you desire. Vegetarians can even find lots of options so join us March 10 to hear all about Bees with our speaker from the University of Maryland.

After the February snows, it’s hard to believe I considered the December event a blizzard. This time I spent 5 days at the store and there were a number of issues that came up that were shared by customers:

*Power outages – We had a number of folks with power out for a long time and these are suggestions for how to deal with it:

Birds maintain their own body temperature even warmer than ours. Be sure they have lots of food and they will be fine. Covering their cage tightly with blankets will keep heat in but they don’t eat in the dark so one of our creative customers put a battery operated LED lantern by their food. It worked bu remember only to do this with finches and other birds that will not eat the lantern.

Another customer who had their house go down to 41, put their Senegal in it’s carrier and slept with it. I think the owner benefited the most.

Small animals also generate their own heat so the same applies to them as to birds except they will eat in the dark and might even eat the lantern. A  small box for them to sleep in is a good idea.

Reptiles are best put in a bag and kept under your shirt where your body heat will keep them warm. If they get too active, move them to a pocket where they will not be as warm.

Fish are a problem. If you still have hot water, float covered jars of hot water in the tank and replace a needed. Watch the thermometer in the tank. Large tanks decrease slower than small ones. A single Betta can go in a small amount of water and be kept in your pocket if you have a totally secure plastic bag.

E-mail us with any other tips you may have at animalexchange@erols.com

Dec 20 was a blizzard day in Rockville. Since I was feeding 2 baby African Grey Parrots and 4 Peach Faced Love Birds, I was concerned about getting up my hill to the store so at midnight I packed up a cot,a change of clothes and some food and headed in for the night. By morning it was clear this had been a good idea since I could not even see my car under a foot or so of snow and more coming down. Everyone had been warned to keep their pets warm and safe and a few hardy souls in the apartments next to us were clearing spaces for their little dogs who were shorter than the snow. We had just three customers that made it in that day. Two needed crickets and one a mouse. One young lady was 27 cents short on her purchase, saying she would bring it in next time. She showed up at supper time with the change and 3 delicious tacos for me since she had figured out that I would be here again for another night. Are pet people not the most caring people on earth? Not only do they take care of their animals but the rest of us as well. That’s why Animal Exchange is still in business  starting our 31st year and it is still worth while to be here even in the worst of times. Thank you all.

August 5, 1979. That is the day Animal Exchange rang  the cash register the very first time. Since we always celebrate on a Sunday, August 2, 2009 is the party day. Join us between 1 and 3 in the afternoon for treats for you and your pets. As always, pets are welcome.

Animal Exchange has presents- lots of them for any pet you may have:

Pinatas for polly, talking mirrors, spray millet, toy,toys, toys…

Guinea pigs and bunnies love our new CARROT bowl for you to fill with hay and other treats. Bunny Blocks are also very popular.

Dogs need a BUSH doll to either cuddle or destroy and we even have a cat version.

Why not a pet as a present? Because you should choose your own child.

Even the youngest of children who visit the store will choose carefully to have the animal that most appeals to them. And it is often not the one that a parent thinks is the cutest. We often say that an animal chooses their owner and we see it happen every day. Those pets are usually the very best and lead to a lifetime wonderful relationship.

  PLEASE READ the section in the news about singing birds. Then consider the options that your bird has. If your bird whistles, you will hear a lot of whistles, if it talks, there will be a lot more talking, if it only is a chirper, there is a lot of that. Whatever your birds voice is used to, there will be more. And then there is the attention factor. When you are feeling romantic don’t  you want a bit more attention? And just like you, they will do anything they can to get it. If you have made the mistake of yelling at the bird when it does something you don’t like [screaming, biting, eating the wallpaper or window sill, ...], they would like you to repeat it. They want extra attention so give it to them before they demand it and you will have a much happier season.

   Have you ever thought about how birds breed? The mechanics can be a bit tricky and since they have no hands their beak is all they have to hold on with. If your bird is closely bonded with you you may be having more encounters with the beak than usual. Try to avoid situations that may lead to a bite and protect yourself! Don’t have the bird near your face and wear gloves if your hands are a target. Owners are always telling me that their birds are afraid of gloves but if you wear heavy flesh colored gloves my birds accept it. Some folks use a perch to move the bird from place to place if they are afraid to put their hands in front of the bird. It is understandible if your finger is still recovering from the last encounter.

   Birds are wonderful. The problems arise because they out smart us all too often. If you have any questions about your bird, don’t hesitate to call the store and sign up for our parrot psychology class.

As winter approaches, the air flow in your house changes. Since heat rises and cold falls, you need to be sure any pet you have that is in a cage is out of drafts and in an appropriate temperature. Birds have their own down jacket to insulate them so I don’t worry about their ambient temperature. Reptiles are the most affected since they and any other ” cold blooded ” pets depend on the environments’ temperature for digestion. A heat source that was adequate in the summer may not be enough now. My betta that is very happy all summer, can’t wait until I put her heater back in the fall.